1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus and method for controlling the operation of a ball-throwing machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are many kinds of automatic ball throwing machines, intended to aid sports practice for players of ball-oriented sports. These machines automatically throw balls in a desired direction to allow people to train, practice, and build skills at playing various kinds of sports. For example, a softball throwing machine like pitching machines from The Jugs Company(copyright) throws softballs or baseballs. One can set the pitching machines to throw a particular type of pitch selected from a variety of predefined pitch types, such as fastballs, curveballs, sliders, etc., and some of the machines offer the option of making various adjustments that can be made to the speed at which the pitches are thrown, the angle at which they are thrown, whether they are thrown to simulate throwing by a left-handed or a right-handed pitcher.
Similarly, a tennis ball throwing machine, such as machines from Lob-ster Inc. throws tennis balls to provide a user with practice at hitting tennis balls. The Lob-ster 301 Tennis Ball Throwing Machine can, for example, be set to throw a ball toward the same place repeatedly, or can be set to oscillate horizontally which creates a random pattern of shots from tennis court sideline to sideline for more realistic practice.
Other types of ball throwing machines that each throw a different type of ball, such as footballs, soccer balls, etc. also exist. Some of these machines can be operated in different modes.
These machines suffer from several disadvantages. First, triggering the machine to throw a ball is cumbersome. For example, the user can arrange for a machine operator to stand beside the ball-throwing machine and can then instruct the operator when to activate the machine to throw a ball. Or the user can trigger the throwing of a ball by pressing on a remote foot switch, which requires the user to momentarily vacate the stance he prefers for interacting with the ball. A second disadvantage is that variable settings must be changed manually. Thus, for example, where a ball-throwing machine is set to throw a baseball at 50 miles per hour and the user wants to change the setting so that a ball is thrown at 75 miles per hour, the user must leave his position, go to the machine, and manually change the machine setting. A manual adjustment is also required, for example, when changing a pitch type.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for adjusting according to a user""s commands the machine-throwing of a ball to the user for a sports-related action. A ball-throwing machine having an impeller also has a camera and a microphone for monitoring the user. A computer vision unit processes images from the camera to monitor the user""s position and to detect gestures made by the user. An audio processor processes signal from the microphone to detect sounds made by the user including vocal commands. A computer responsive to the computer vision unit, the audio processor, settings on a control panel, and data describing ballistic characteristics sets the impeller angle in both horizontal and vertical directions, the impeller speed, and the spin the impeller will impart to the ball, and causes a ball to be fed to the impeller for projection under the current settings.
Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed solely for purposes of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the invention, for which reference should be made to the appended claims. It should be further understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale and that, unless otherwise indicated, they are merely intended to conceptually illustrate the structures and procedures described herein.